Presentations - UCLA Health and Media Research Group -- Background information

Resources: Presentations: Abstracts

Healthy Beginnings: Development of an Interactive Multimedia CD-ROM for the Management of Gestational Diabetes

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is a growing problem among pregnant women, particularly minorities. Non-treatment of GDM can cause complications of pregnancy and childbirth, birth defects, and increased incidence of stillbirth. With proper screening and management, blood glucose levels in the mother can be lowered and poor birth outcomes averted. Counseling a pregnant mother with GDM is labor intensive as it entails multiple changes in the patient's daily routine including diet, exercise, self-testing and sometimes insulin injections. An interactive, multimedia bilingual (English/Spanish) CD-ROM was created to help pregnant women with GDM manage their diabetes, as well as to ease the burden on hospital staff educating patients. A randomized control trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the CD-ROM among pregnant, low literate Hispanic women. All participants, who were newly diagnosed GDM patients, received standard education and case management. The treatment group participants received an additional educational component in the form of the CD-ROM. Changes in self- perceptions, attitudes and knowledge about gestational diabetes were assessed. Preliminary results showed greater increases in knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy for those exposed to the CD-ROM as well as decreased stress than those not exposed to the CD-ROM. Providing computer-assisted education in the form of an interactive educational CD-ROM can be a powerful innovative tool in health education, particularly gestational diabetes self-management.

Community Health Workers and Health Access: Experience with the Community Health Access Project (CHAP)

MotherNet L.A. serves disadvantaged families residing in Compton, Los Angeles. The Community Health Access Project (CHAP) was developed to address health disparities and empower families to effectively utilize the health system. The goal is to improve health access and prevent poor health outcomes. The main objective is to train at least 250 parents of children 0-5 years old to be knowledgeable health consumers through a series of five-week class sessions. These classes are taught by nine bilingual Community Health Workers (CHWs), who are residents of the community. CHWs serve as mentors and provide one-on-one health counseling. The pre-post test quasi-experimental evaluation design assesses a) change in knowledge and health utilization behaviors before and after the parenting classes and b) differences between parents who receive a health mentor and those that do not. Preliminary results among a sample of 162 participants, shows a significant increase (t=-4.798. p<.001) in knowledge from pre-test (x=19.36) to post-test (x=21.71). There was also an increase in self-efficacy (t= -3.355, p= .001) and knowledge of insurance utilization (t= -3.304, p= .001) from pre- to post-time periods. Thus far, 230 participants have obtained health insurance for their children as a result of CHAP. For the section presentation, CHWs will share their experiences, concerns, and best practices regarding their work with underserved individuals. The UCLA evaluation team will make a brief presentation on results of the 3-month follow-up and impact of the mentoring program.

Disasters in the Media: A Content Analysis of Disaster Depictions in Movies and Prime-Time Television

Disasters, both natural and man-made, are a major public health concern. The general public often lacks experience about disasters but needs to be informed in order to have the ability to respond quickly and accurately. This ability is best formed directly through experience with disasters; although for most individuals, indirect experience through popular media is the only method by which information about disasters are gathered. Given that popular television and movies are two main channels through which perceptions about disasters are formed, to date, little research has been done to examine how popular media portrays disasters.

This study focuses on the exploration of disaster content in popular movies and prime-time television. The top 50 grossing movies for the years 1997 and 2003 and prime-time television shows airing in the winter and spring of 2003 and 2004 were identified, and within this list, those movies and television shows that contained evidence of disaster content in their narrative reviews were selected and reviewed for content. Each movie and episode was reviewed by two individuals, who were trained in media content analysis, using a 38-item media content coding sheet. Movies/episodes were reviewed for type of disaster, vector/cause, location of incident, consequence, emergency preparedness and response, political context, and media context (including tone and graphic nature). The results of this review will be discussed with respect to disaster related perceptions, risk communication, and preparedness. Implications for using popular media as a channel for disaster-related health education and promotion will also be discussed.

Learning objectives: 1) methods of gathering data about disaster content in movies and television, 2) overview of media and its relation to health, 3) depictions of disasters in popular media, 4) how media can be used for disaster-related health education and promotion.

Project E.M.P.A.C.T. - Empowerment, Media, Prevention and Advocacy for Controlling Tobacco (Art and Science of Health Promotion Conference)

Statement of Problem. Innovative strategies are needed as methods of tobacco prevention among adolescents. UCLA implemented Project E.M.P.A.C.T., a curriculum that focuses on integrating media literacy and tobacco education, into the El Monte High School District.

Methods. A pre-post-test design was used to evaluate change in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among 600 students who participated in Project E.M.P.A.C.T. from 2000 through 2001. The curriculum contains eight lesson plans, which were integrated into five 10th grade Relationships classes per semester. Lessons were divided into two phases: Phase I (Health & Media Literacy) and Phase II (Peer & Community Advocacy).

Results. Overall attitudinal scores among a sample of 315 students reveal a significant difference between pre- and post-tests in regards to an increase in negative attitudes toward tobacco use (t= 3.606, p= < .001). There were significant differences between pre- and post-test scores measuring knowledge of tobacco-related health consequences (t=-8.95, p<. 001) and knowledge of perceived norms among participants (t=-9.53, p<. 001). Although there were no pre- and post-test differences for the number of days participants smoked cigarettes, there was small but significant differences for the number of cigarettes smoked (t= 2.82, p= .005).

Conclusion. Preliminary results indicate media literacy as an effective method of tobacco prevention among adolescents.

Project E.M.P.A.C.T. - Empowerment, Media, Prevention and Advocacy for Controlling Tobacco (AAHPERD)

Introduction. The use of media literacy is among the new approaches used to prevent smoking among adolescents. Project E.M.A.P.C.T. (Empowerment, Media, Prevention and Advocacy for Controlling Tobacco) is an innovative school-based curriculum that focuses on integrating media literacy into classroom settings. It instills critical thinking skills in students as a method of deterring the influence of the media on tobacco use. UCLA implemented Project E.M.P.A.C.T. into the El Monte High School District. Preliminary results indicate a significant change in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among students, which demonstrate a critical step in the rational development of new school-based prevention strategies.

Goals & Objectives. The primary goal of Project E.M.P.A.C.T. is to evaluate the relative effectiveness of an anti-tobacco media literacy curriculum among a selected group of high school students. Secondary goals include: (1) to decrease the prevalence of tobacco use among students; and (2) to decrease the number of students who believe tobacco use is acceptable by strategically applying normative education. The primary objective of the project was to train high school students in critical thinking and resistance skills to help them resist peer and media pressures to smoke. Secondary objectives include: (1) increasing students’ level of knowledge and awareness regarding (a) the immediate and long-term health consequences of tobacco use and (b) perceived norms of tobacco use; (2) changing students’ attitudes regarding tobacco use and media influence strategies; and (3) changing tobacco-related behavior among students.

Methods. A pre-post-test quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate change in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among 600 students who participated in Project E.M.P.A.C.T. from 2000 through 2001. The project was implemented in a total of four high schools (3 intervention and 1 control) within the El Monte High School District, located in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County. The curriculum contains eight lesson plans, which were integrated into five 10th grade Relationships classes per semester as part of the classes required content material. The curriculum was conducted in 11-week, forty-five minute sessions presented once a week during the 2000-2001 school year. Lessons were divided into two phases: Phase I (Health & Media Literacy) and Phase II (Peer & Community Advocacy). Phase I strategies consisted of raising students’ level of awareness regarding local and national prevalence of tobacco use; educating students about the health and social consequences of tobacco use; teaching students how to analyze and decode media messages; and allowing students to produce their own anti-tobacco media messages. Phase II strategies included engaging students in surveying and ad-busting their school library’s print materials that contain tobacco ads and peer educator training. Students’ knowledge, attitude, and behavior were, assessed by questionnaires administered one week before the implementation of the curriculum (pretest) and one week immediately after the completion of the curriculum (posttest). Two follow-up sessions will be conducted at six-month and one-year time periods.

Results. Preliminary results include a sample of 315 students in two of the three intervention schools. Paired sample T-Tests were performed on pre- and post-test scores and show significant changes in students’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding tobacco use. Overall attitudinal scores reveal a significant difference between pre- and post-tests in regards to an increase in negative attitudes toward tobacco use (t= 3.606, p= < .001). Similarly, there were significant differences between pre- and post-test scores measuring knowledge of tobacco-related health consequences (t=-8.95, p<. 001) and knowledge of perceived norms among participants (t=-9.53, p<. 001). Although there were no pre- and post-test differences for the number of days participants smoked cigarettes, there was small but significant differences for the number of cigarettes smoked (t= 2.82, p= .005). Project staff are currently evaluating the entire sample population to produce final results.